Schmidt Futures, in partnership with the Rhodes Trust, has announced the opening of applications for 2023 Rise Global Challenge with the launch of ‘Rise To’ campaign.
The applications are open to young people ages 15 to 17years (as of July 1st, 2023).
The flagship program of Schmidt Futures and the anchor of a broader $1 billion philanthropic commitment from Eric and Wendy Schmidt, Rise finds brilliant people who need opportunity and supports them for life as they work to serve others.
Rise will build a lifelong community of students, teachers, and institutions across sectors who aim to serve others.
The program, which identifies young people between the ages of 15 and 17 from around the world, is designed to encourage a lifetime of service and learning by providing support that could include scholarships, career services, and funding opportunities to help these leaders serve others for decades to come.
Over the last two years, a total of seven Kenyan students have been selected as Rise Global Winners. Their projects include
Promoting reading among underprivileged communities in Kenya;
Developing the Rapidcovix Breathalyzer to help rural, low-income families better detect infectious disease at low cost; and
Preventing deforestation through a program aimed at planting trees in local communities, among others.
Schmidt Futures recognizes that talent is created equally, but opportunity is not, which is why the Rise program partners with 30+ global organizations, including NBA Africa, the HALI Access Network, KenSAP, and Akili Dada in Kenya, to scour the globe to find brilliant young people who are passionate about building a better world.
“Akili Dada is thrilled to continue growing our partnership with Rise in Kenya as we work together to nurture the next generation of young and innovative leaders looking to build a better world,” said Diana Njuguna, Head of Programs for Akili Dada.
Since its inception, Rise has welcomed more than 150,000 people from over 170 countries to its community and selected 200 Winners from 69 countries of origin who have showcased their brilliance – from making education more accessible to mitigating global warming and developing tools to better detect cancer.
Rise Global Winners will receive individualized and flexible support to achieve their goals as they work to serve others. The program is designed to encourage a lifetime of service to develop innovative solutions to solve society’s hard problems.
That’s why Rise provides all applicants, regardless of Winner status, with access to its global network, free online courses, and curated opportunities from partners.
To stay up to date on the benefits available for Rise applicants each year, please read the Official Rise Challenge Rules by visiting https://www.risefortheworld.org/rules.
